Device for handling incendiary bombs



April 6, 1943. E. WILCOX 2,315,831

DEVICBFCR HANDLING INCENDIARY BOMBS Filed July 25, 1942 INVENTOR EVERETTWILCOX ATTORN EYS Patented Apr. 6, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEDEVICE FOR HANDLING INCENDIARY BOMBS (Granted under the act of March 3,1883, as

amended April 30, 1928; 3'70 0. G. 757) 2 Claims.

This application is made under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended bythe act of April 30, 1928, and the invention herein described, ifpatented, may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of theUnited States of America for governmental purposes without the paymentto me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to incendiary bombs and is more particularlyconcerned with a device which can be used to extinguish or renderharmless incendiary bombs especially of the magnesium type, such as theordinary 2.2 pound type.

Two embodiments of this invention are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing in which:

Figure 1 is an isometric view of one embodiment of this invention in itsopen position.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the same embodiment in its closedposition.

Figure 3 is a section along the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the second embodiment.

Referring with more particularity to Figures 2, and 3, in which likenumerals designate like parts, the embodiment illustrated comprises abase ll of slate, fire clay, or other infusible material l2 reinforcedwith coarse wire mesh l3. This wire mesh is completely surrounded by asubstantial thickness of the infusible material. If fire clay is used,it should be of a high alumina type having about 40 percent aluminumoxide and should be low in silica and practically free from iron andalkalies. The silica should be limited to about 40 percent silicondioxide or only sufi'icient to provide the necessary strength, allowingfor the wire mesh reinforcement. The clay should be burned at'a lowtemperature, about 2500 F., to secure maximum heat insulation of thefinished refractory material. A zirconia refractory material burned atabout 2500 F. is especially suitable because of its insulatingproperties. The fusion temperature of slate is about 3000" F. and thatof fire clay about 3200 R, which is sufficiently high to handle burningmagnesium which has a combustion temperature of about 2372 F. (1300 C.).

To the rear of the base I l a handle [4, similar to a rake handle, isattached by means of a bracket l5 to hold it firmly to the base.

On top of the base I l a hood I 8 is disposed having a suitable shape,-such as semi-cylindrical, with the ends closed. This hood is also madeof a suitable infusible material I! reinforced with coarse wire mesh [8,like the base I I. When metal alone is used, instead of fire day, theinner surfaces of the hood should be lined with asbestos insulation. Therearward edge of the hood is attached to the base by means of hinges 29,and a spring 2| between the hood and base hclds the hood normally in aclosed position.

A wire 22, such as ordinary piano wire, operates through guides 23 onthe handle [4, one end of which wire is attached to the back of the hoodat a point 24, substantially as illustrated. The other end of the wireis free and is provided with a knob or grip 25 so that the operator maygrasp it and, by pulling on the wire, open the hood against the actionof the spring 2| The front edge 26 of the base II is beveled on the topto a thin edge.

To use this device on 2.2 pound magnesium bombs, which are about 2inches in diameter and 14 inches long, the dimensions of the base shouldbe approximately 16 to 18 inches by 8 to 10 inches and the hoodapproximately 16 inches by 8 inches, preferably somewhat smaller thanthe base.

The device is operated by grasping the handle i4 and the knob 25 of thecontrol wire in one hand, the control wire being first pulled to raisethe hood It to the open position. By grasping the knob 25 and the handle[4 with one hand, the hood can be held in this position against theaction of the spring 2!. The front edge 26 of the base is then broughtup to the bomb, parallel with its longitudinal axis and the bomb israked onto the base beneath the hood by any suitable means, such as arake or hoe or, in some cases, it may be suflicient simply to push thebase under the bomb, When the bomb is under the hood, the knob of thecontrol wire is released, permitting the hood to fall and therebycompletely enclosing the bomb. Due to the lack of sufiicient air, thebomb will become smothered or snuffed out very quickly. The bomb may becarried in this fashion to a safe place and permitted to burn out,either under the hood of the device or in some other safe place.

The embodiment of my invention iilustrated in Figure 4 comprisesmounting both the base and the hood on long handles so as to eliminatethe hinges and control wire. In this embodiment the base 21 and the hood28 are similar to that described in the first embodiment, but they arenot permanently connected together. The base 21 is provided with a longhandle 29 and the hood with a long handle 30, preferably at the sameangle. The handle 29 may be provided with a flat surface 3| on the topand the handle 30 with a fiat surface 32 on the bottom, so that thesetwo flat surfaces can be placed together permitting the operator tograsp both handles together. This device is used similar to the firstembodiment described above but eliminates the use of any hoe, rake, orother device to push the bomb on the base. In this modified form thehood is first placed over the bomb. The base is then slid under the hoodand bomb, thus capturing the bomb in a fireproof enclosure. The bombwill then be snuffed out or smothered in the same way explained above inconnection with the first embodiment. The bomb should be carried to asafe place and either permitted to burnout under the hood or in someother safe and suitable place.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A device for handling incendiary bombs comprising a fiat base, a longhandle attached to the back of said base, a hood adapted to be disposedon said base, and a long handle attached to said hood, said base andhood being fabricated of a material which will not fuse at thecombustion temperature of the bomb to be handled, said handles beingparallel when said hood is on said base.

2. A device for handling incendiary bombs comprising a flat base, a longhandle attached to the back of said base, a hood adapted to be disposedon said base, and a long handle attached to said hood, said base andhood being fabricated of a material which will not fuse at thecombustion temperature of the bomb to be handled, said handles beingparallel when said hood is on said base, said handles having each a flatsurface complementary to each other, whereby when the hood is inposition on the base said handles may be grasped and held together.

EVERETT WILCOX.

